We’re going to die!

As the violent thunderstorm rocked our old VW van, my dad quickly pulled over on the shoulder of the road. The howling winds pelted hail at the windshield. I cowered in the back seat as my little four-year-old heart pleaded with Jesus to save us. I was terrified, convinced we would not survive. Minutes later the storm abated, and we continued on our way, shaken but unharmed.

Four years later . . . I woke up in the middle of the night to a fierce thunderstorm rocking our tiny travel trailer, whose only foundation was the bricks keeping it off the ground. Once again, terror gripped me as I crawled into my parents’ bed, silently pleading with Jesus to save our lives. The storm eventually broke, and I slept soundly. The next morning, my parents assessed the damage: the winds had been so intense that they almost completely pushed the trailer off the brick foundation. Jesus had saved us!

I am confident these childhood experiences are the reason the story of Jesus in the storm (see Mark 4:35-41) has always been a favorite of mine. I resonate with the raw terror those disciples experienced. A terror so intense and overwhelming that survival is the only thought: How can I get out of here alive?

Intense storms are a regular occurrence in Tornado Alley, where I grew up. I eventually learned not only to tolerate them but to be awed by the sound and display of power. Now, I miss the real-deal thunderstorms of my childhood state.

But physical thunderstorms are nothing compared to the storms of life that rock us to our core and threaten to blow us off our foundations of faith. Storms such as failing health, unjust imprisonment, the loss of a child, abuse or a myriad of other storms assault us unmercifully in our sinful world.

We are told not to be surprised by these storms (1 Peter 4:12). Yet the Scriptures also tell us that Jesus left us an inheritance of peace (John 14:27) to guard our hearts and minds (Philippians 4:6-7). Peace in the midst of violent storms?

Recently, God used a personal storm of life to teach me this vital lesson: Peace does not come because there are no storms. Peace is the result of recognizing, believing and accepting that the Prince of Peace is in my boat and riding through the storm with me.

Once I accepted the truth that Jesus, the Creator of the wind and the rain and the waves, was with me in the boat, I realized that I was safe. To be safe means I no longer have to fight against the storm—no longer have to live in survival mode. Being safe with Jesus means I can relax and, dare I say, even enjoy the ride. Why? Because in the midst of the turbulence, Jesus speaks to the storm in my soul: “Peace, Be still.” Once the wind and the waves in my soul are calm, I can rest even as the external storm rages on.

You and I know about the “Man in the boat.” But what about those in the unreached areas of the world who are going through the storms of life, unaware that peace is available to them? Please partner with AFM through your prayers and financial gifts as we spread the good news of peace to unreached people groups.

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